Coach Profile

Matt Venegas

Matt Venegas is entering his third season as an assistant coach for the Azusa Pacific baseball program. The former NAIA All-American and GSAC Player of the Year, who ranks in the program's all-time top-15 in batting average (.378), hits (182), RBIs (142), and doubles (39), serves as the Cougars' first base coach and assists in the development of Azusa Pacific's infielders.

An accomplished college player, Venegas broke the Cougars' record in at-bats in 2008 (261) to help Azusa Pacific return to its second consecutive NAIA World Series appearance. The former GSAC Gold Glove shortstop kicked off the 2008 season in impressive fashion, sending the second pitch he saw over the right field fence in a year in which he tallied nine home runs and a team-leading 102 hits.

He earned First-Team All-GSAC honors in 2007 and 2008, and was a member of a team that posted a 97-22 record over the course of the most successful two-year span (07-08) in program history. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in liberal studies.

He and his wife Ashley were married in October of 2011, and are expecting twins in the Spring. The couple resides in La Verne.